Tea partyers are almost evenly divided between those who favor former Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and those who support Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., according to a new Politico/TargetPoint poll.
The poll was taken last Thursday at the massive Tax Day protest in Washington.
Palin best reflects the 43 percent who say the government is too big and should do more to promote traditional values. Meanwhile Paul most represents the 42 percent who say government is too big but shouldn’t try to promote any particular set of values — the libertarian philosophy.
When asked who “best exemplifies the goals of the tea party movement,” Palin came in first with 15 percent of the vote, and Paul came in second at 12 percent.
They also ran one-two as respondents’ choice for president in 2012, with Palin at 15 percent and Paul at 14 percent.
One thing the grass roots activists can agree on – they don’t like President Obama and the national Democratic Party. A full three-quarters think he’s “pursuing a socialist agenda.”
But they aren’t so gung-ho on Republicans either. Three out of four tea partyers say they are “scared about the direction” of the country and “want to send a message to both political parties.”
In general, those who turned out on April 15 tended to be less culturally conservative than national Republicans, Politico reports.
Out of 22 issues, the activists are most angry about the exploding government debt. They’re least angry about the issue of gay marriage.
Another recent poll, by The New York Times/CBS News shows that tea partyers are better educated and wealthier than their brethren citizens.
Of the 18 percent of poll respondents who identified themselves as tea partyers, 20 percent said their household income totals $100,000 or more per year. That compares to 14 percent for respondents overall.
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.